1 9 ‘To what extent can preparedness and planning mitigate the effects of volcanic hazards?’(40 marks)

Analyse the factors that causes differences in the hazards posed by volcanoes around the world (40 marks)

A hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat tolife, health, property or environment. The level of hazard posed by different volcanoes can very greatly, from a weak eruption with minimal impact that causes little damage, to a voilent and life threatening explosion. Most of the sixty-plus volcanoes that erupt each year are low risk, however a combination of factors can cause a volcano to be a serious hazard. The factors causing these variations will be explained in this essay.

To what extent can preparedness and planning mitigate the effects of a volcanic hazard (40 marks)

Many a time the hazards that loom on the horizon present a striking and beautiful view. As humans, people cannot live their lives in fear of things they have no control over. Local communities plus the federal government, and global nations can prepare for disasters, create emergency supply kits and organize family emergency plans. Regional parks near volcanoes can keep lake and reservoir water levels low to mitigate mudslides and avalanches. But no matter what one may do to prepare for disasters, they will happen, and nothing can keep one from occurring. The residents of the area surrounding Mt. St. Helens must understand that the volcano still poses a threat and it could erupt at any

Assess the extent to which primary rather than secondary impacts are the more serious effects arising from volcanic eruptions. (30 marks)

Another human factor is the earthquake mitigation through education and community awareness. Schemes such as the one in Sichuan, China helped to save thousands of lives. The weekly intervals of training in case of an earthquake, educated children and adults of what to do when the quake struck. Evacuation schemes such as the window slides or hiding under tables was reported to have saved thousands when the magnitude 8.0 hit the area in 2008. However, some were not saved due to their unwillingness to move and evacuate the area. Some people of the village, notably the poorer and elderly refused to leave as they didn’t want to leave all they owned behind.

China and Mesopotamia: I choose China for my society while you chose Mesopotamia. The civilization you chose is agriculture. In China, evidence of agriculture—in particular, rice cultivation and domestication of animals—has been continually pushed further and further back until now the accepted view is that it developed earlier than 6000 B.C. But the debate is whether the ancient Chinese developed agriculture on their own or whether they borrowed it, either from Mesopotamia or Southeast Asia where rice growing began about the same time.

The volcanoes are located where there is a divergence or convergence in the tectonic plates and bring their lava from the deepest of the terrestrial mantle. The materials and explosions of these ginates represent a constant risk in the places inhabited by the human being, nevertheless the people ususually live in these areas no matter the risk. On the other hand the volcanos can change the geology of an impressive form, or to cool the temperature of the earth, or to darken the sky. The scientific community increases its efforts to try to understand better what happens in volcanoes, however it is impossible to predict these conditions.

Volcanoes release volcanic hazards that may cause the life of human kind to be in danger. These volcanic hazards are Pyroclastic Density Currents (pyroclastic flows and surges), Lahars, Structural Collapse: Debris flow-Avalanches, Dome Collapse and the formation of pyroclastic flows and surges, Lava flows, Tephra fall and ballistic projectiles, volcanic gas, Tsunamis and Volcanic Lightning

The web page, written by the British Library staff addresses the group of popular writers and artists of the 1920’s commonly referred to as “The Lost Generation”. The target audience of the article is teenagers to young adults as they use vocabulary that can easily be understood by the younger generations. Most of the information is gathered through the novels and other works of the members of the Lost Generation and is strongly credible as the article bases its factual interpretations based on primary sources. The article covers multiple members of the groups, addressing the topic while covering both literature and art aspects, the great war, its symbolism and the aftermath. The source is valuable as it offers a deeper understanding of Ernest Hemingway, his beliefs and the connection that he holds to the “Lost Generation”. No exact date is provided in the article but as it deals with a topic that came into light almost a century ago, the source is still considered to be accurate.

In these eruptions, instead of the mixture of gas and ash flowing upwards, it flows outwards and hugs the ground. These eruptions are extremely dangerous.

Warning signs of a volcanic eruption can occur up to a month before the eruption itself occurs. These may include earthquakes, cracks in the earth around the base of the mountain, and even the depletion of water in springs and streams. All of these signs, and more, were present up to two weeks before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which began on August 24, AD 79, and covered an estimated 16,000 citizens of Pompeii in more than 25 meters of volcanic ash. The result of this event seemingly could have been avoided, yet this is still considered to be “one of the most catastrophic and infamous eruptions in European history”(Deen 25).

Over the past few decades, the significance, magnitude and consequence of risk management and communication have been brought before the world over and over again in a number of situations related to health, terrorist activities, natural disasters etc. When one turns the pages of history, it is rather obvious that lack of planning and absence of resources due to unpreparedness makes it difficult for the concerned authorities to manage an emergency or epidemic a problematic and traumatic task. The chaotic situations can turn out to be more nerve-racking and tense when preparations are not made before hand (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2002).

Specific measures taken before disasters strike, to ensure effective response constitute preparation. This phase may include specific contingency planning, emergency exercises, training, installation and use of warning systems.

Volcanic eruptions are a constant issue. There are around 50 -70 eruptions every year with some volcanoes erupting more than once. Around 35 people die every year from volcanic eruptions along with an average cost of damage of 98,992,000. I believe that with a little math that these numbers can go down. Issues with volcano causing so much death is more of the debris that comes out of it if we could estimate the distant that this debris could travel then we would simply need to change the areas that we build cities and how far we would need to evacuate in a sudden emergency. This will include the ideas of projectile motion, angular projectile motion, Geometrical estimations. For this example, I will be using the volcano Mount Vesuvius. This volcano is known best for the destruction of Pompeii and villages that surrounded it. This eruption works the best due to the easily known eruption and the easily measurable distances from Pompeii to the center of Mount Vesuvius.